Trimming the MFAT
I’m feeling pretty sorry for the 300-odd MFAT staff who’ve been told this week that their jobs are for the chop. Granted, there are doubtless gains in productivity and efficiency that can be made – but show me an organisation, public or otherwise, with similar staffing numbers that couldn’t make a few gains here and...
Voting Conundrums, and the Difficulty of Defining Oneself
As a handwringing lefty socialist, albeit one with a strong disdain for hippies and the organic movement (I don’t like worms in my apples, but I DO like raw milk cheese), I am strongly considering voting Green at Saturday’s general election. I’ve voted Labour in all the elections I’ve been eligible for, and...
Buy Air NZ? For a Third Time? No Thanks, National.
There’s an ad on TV at the moment, which begins with a kid dreaming of some sort of games console. His Dad gives him a lamb, which he helps to raise. The sheep and the boy become friends, and all too soon it’s time to load Sheepy onto the truck and off to the saleyards....
When Doing the Right Thing is Wrong
First, let’s set the scene. Quiet Saturday evening at home, after a day of being a good little consumer wandering the shops and rummaging through the cheapie DVD bins, I find myself something worth buying. Ironically this is usually at a ‘local’ JB hi-fi or Harvey Norman, supporting local shops is even better when they’re Australian!
Redefining Risk
I read with some satisfaction the Serious Fraud Office’s decision this week to bring 50 charges against South Canterbury Finance chairman Alan Hubbard. Three hundred million dollars of taxpayer cash was ponied up to bail out the feckless, greedy, incompetent Hubbard and his blind followers. These same followers, who, to this day, see Hubbard as...
No, That’s a Stupid Idea
I discovered recently that the way the ministers of this government like to operate is to reduce the roles of their departments to those of sycophants and yes-men. In days gone by, a minister would float an idea with his or her department. The experts would chew over it for a few days, then send...
New Zealand Income vs Inflation: 1971-2011
Ever wondered whether your income has been keeping up with inflation over the years? Oh, you haven’t… sorry to put the thought into your brain. Inflation is part of life as every year our money buys less and less. Normally we don’t notice it that much, sure petrol goes up in price, but we’re used...
